0:00:31 > 0:00:35According to legend, the earliest a Roadshow queue ever formed
0:00:35 > 0:00:37was in Northallerton, when a gentleman flung down
0:00:37 > 0:00:40his sleeping bag sharp on the stroke of midnight.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43I don't know how early the queue started in Ipswich,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47but it was a long one and produced some most interesting items.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51We've already seen some of them, now let's have a look at some more.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56As far as I'm aware, on the sitting room floor of our front room,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00I tried to open it to see how the clockwork motor went.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03But that was in...when I was five.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- Right.- In 1921.- Right. - But I rather think he bought it
0:01:07 > 0:01:13in his teens or later on, in around 1902-3-4, something like that.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16It's an Edison Standard Phonograph, which you're well aware of.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Yes, the name is clearly on the front.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24And it was patented, this particular last variety, in 1903.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27- Oh, yes.- So your dad would have bought it in 1903.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- Yes.- And then presented it to you a few years later.- Yes.
0:01:31 > 0:01:37- This gadget predates the 78 flat disc by a good ten years.- Yes.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40What was exciting to people was that they could,
0:01:40 > 0:01:47relatively inexpensively, have a record-playing device that played their favourite tunes quite easily.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- And it was a revolution really, in its way.- Yes, of course.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Would you like to show me how we insert
0:01:54 > 0:01:58- this extraordinary cylindrical record into the machine?- Yes, be delighted.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04First of all, one ensures that it's wound up, the clockwork motor is wound.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08- And how far do you wind it? - Until it won't go any more.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13Oh, right, as simple as that. Good, so it's fully wound.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Then one puts ones fingers so not to touch the outer surface.
0:02:17 > 0:02:23One makes sure that this...
0:02:23 > 0:02:29- is not riding on the cylinder. Open the gate.- Open the gate.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34- Slide it onto the solid cylinder there.- Yes.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36- Close the gate.- Hm-mm.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- Put the horn on.- Brilliant.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43And we might give the thing a bit of a whiz and see what happens?
0:02:43 > 0:02:46- Yes. You start the motor...- Hm-mm.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50..Lift this,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54lower it gently so that the reciprocator
0:02:54 > 0:02:57- and the diaphragm lands on the record.- Right.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00FAINT SCRATCHY VOICE SINGING
0:03:04 > 0:03:07# The taxi meets a car. #
0:03:09 > 0:03:12- It's great, isn't it? - You can hear that, can you?
0:03:12 > 0:03:17- Absolutely! Well, it's a brilliant machine, I have to say.- Yes.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21One of the things I really like about it is you've got
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- the original horn that hasn't been tickled up.- We haven't painted it.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30An awful lot of people paint them and restore them, which is a mistake.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34We didn't get round to that. It's got a few knocks, as you can see.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- But all charming, that's a delightful part of it.- Yes, of course.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- The fact that it's been yours since 1921 is delightful.- Yes.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44And my daughter used to play it to her children as well.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- Did she?- She did. - It's in jolly good condition.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51What's extraordinary is, you'd think the records would be difficult to get hold of,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55but there's quite a few of them about and they're terribly cheap.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59- Really? Good.- The expensive thing is the phonograph itself.
0:03:59 > 0:04:06I think this is worth probably between £350 and £500 or even £400-£600.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12Well, the fact that it's here and giving enjoyment to people is a great satisfaction to me.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- It's a good tune.- Yes, of course.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18SCRATCHY RECORD # It's better than taking a trip to Spain
0:04:18 > 0:04:20# Or having a honeymoon over again
0:04:20 > 0:04:25# If you're out with your sweetheart, your mater or your pa
0:04:25 > 0:04:29# Do it in style, at sixpence a mile
0:04:29 > 0:04:32- # A taxi beats a car.- #
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Where did you find it?
0:04:37 > 0:04:44I was given this clock by my mother who was given it by her great-uncle.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Well, I have never seen one like it.
0:04:47 > 0:04:53Er, I've seen THINGS like it, I know where it was made but I've never exactly seen one
0:04:53 > 0:04:59this shape and I've also never seen a box of this extraordinary complexity.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05The man must have spent for ever actually making all the little bits, making the lid, making the catches.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10One amusing thing about the box, before we get onto the clock... Sorry, I've got a thing for it!
0:05:10 > 0:05:14The one thing you can't make miniature to fit this tiny box and the tiny clock,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18is the hooks, because otherwise you could never use them, your fingers are too big.
0:05:18 > 0:05:25So the hooks actually look out of proportion with the gold work and tooling and inlaying.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Yes, I suppose so. It hadn't struck me before, but now you mention it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34If they made them doll's house size, your fingers would never be able to open the box.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35- Yes.- Enough of the box, the clock.
0:05:35 > 0:05:42This is a Swiss-made object. It's made in about 1900-1910.
0:05:42 > 0:05:49That was a period when they had very high-quality craftsmanship and almost not enough to do
0:05:49 > 0:05:56with it, so you got a complete mixture of different techniques.
0:05:56 > 0:06:03The object is made of silver and it's enamelled in what we call opalescent enamel.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07And this was done using particular glass compounds
0:06:07 > 0:06:10that enabled you to get an opalescent effect, so...
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- And you understand what an opal, the actual stone... - Yes, I understand.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20..You get that sort of... Well, you actually get the effect on this case and indeed...
0:06:20 > 0:06:25The light, as the light passes through, you get a different tone and you also get,
0:06:25 > 0:06:31through the engraving underneath that they've done, striated-lined effect. It's very unusual.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Then they've enhanced it with these little half-round columns at corners.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40They've engraved and inlaid them with what is called champleve enamel.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45So this is a piece of silver, they've scalloped out the line.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- Yes.- They've filled it with white enamel, ground it off and polished it.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53In fact, when you get up to the top here with this little garland,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56you're almost looking at something of the work of Faberge.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Now, it's not Faberge. It has got a name, it's not Faberge.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05But this technique of using this kind of opalescent enamels, engraving,
0:07:05 > 0:07:11garland work, gold work, applied work, was practised by Faberge, to some extent by Cartier.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17And in this case by a man called Dreyfous whose name is on the bottom.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23From France, they were quite a well-known jewellery retailer.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25The piece was made in Switzerland for them.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30But they're not in the same league, I'm afraid, as Cartier or Faberge.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Do you have... have you ever had it running?
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Yes, well I wound it up last night, actually.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37And how long does it go for?
0:07:37 > 0:07:42I don't know because I... Um, I'm sorry.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47No, I hoped you could answer the question because if it goes for a week we'll be here a long time.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51It won't go less than, for less than a day, or a day and a half.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- The reason I ask is I've taken the bottom off.- Yes.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- The movement of the clock is in there.- Yes, I know that.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00And it's reasonably...reasonable size and of course the dial is
0:08:00 > 0:08:04absolutely minute. Nobody could have used it to tell the time, come on!
0:08:04 > 0:08:07No, it's just a decorative thing.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12I can tell you that... it would not be less than £2,000.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18But I've never seen one quite like it, and it is collectable
0:08:18 > 0:08:22to the right marketplace and so it could be worth double that.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- I'm sorry not to be more specific. - No, that's all right.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- I've no intention of getting rid of it anyway so...- Excellent. - We enjoy it at home.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34My godmother left it to me.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I never even saw it till she left it in her will so she didn't
0:08:37 > 0:08:42talk to me about it or show it to me. And that's all I can tell you.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Well, you can immediately see, or at least I can immediately see
0:08:45 > 0:08:50the quality of this little piece. It's all beautifully made, it's got
0:08:50 > 0:08:56this lovely two-colour gold border round here, little diamond in the centre, diamond thumbpiece.
0:08:56 > 0:09:02As you turn it over you can see this beautiful guilloche enamelling.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06It's all engine-turned underneath the enamel, which is translucent.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And opening it up...
0:09:11 > 0:09:15we might, I hope, get a little surprise. And inside is...
0:09:15 > 0:09:18I rather wish I'd got my specs on. Yes?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- I'll tell you, because I've got my specs on.- Yes.
0:09:20 > 0:09:26- And this one says Faberge. - I daren't believe it, I...
0:09:27 > 0:09:32- Well, it's... - I'm absolutely amazed, I really am. Absolutely dumbfounded, actually.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- That's a wonderful surprise? - Yes, it is. Incredible.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37This little mark here, "MP",
0:09:37 > 0:09:41which is a little bit rubbed, is the work master, Michael Perchin, who was
0:09:41 > 0:09:45the head of his workshop at the time that this was made.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- How exciting!- This little mark at the top tells us it was made in
0:09:49 > 0:09:54St Petersburg between 1896 and 1908.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57I'm delighted! I'll give you a big hug.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Well, I'm delighted you're delighted. We seldom find a piece of Faberge on this programme.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06It is so sought-after and the nicest thing is it's in such terrific condition.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- Yeah.- It hasn't got a bash on it.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- It sits on my dressing table. It's not in a box. - You'll have to be careful.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Would you like me to tell you what I think you should insure it for?
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- Yes, yes.- About £5,000. - Yeah, um...
0:10:20 > 0:10:25Right. I never considered insuring it, it's only with household goods.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Well, I hope it won't take the pleasure of owning out of it.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- It often worries people when they have something that's valuable.- Yes.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36No, it won't take the pleasure. I look at it every day when I brush my hair.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Good. It's a pleasure to see. Thank you for bringing it along.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Well, thank you very much. I'm very excited by that news. Thank you.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47OK, we've got the first Constable of the day I see here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Interesting. I always look at the back of the picture not the front to see the provenance.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54We've got Winter Landscape, John Constable.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58A bit of provenance "Bought on this day from Lady Dewing", it looks like.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Now, if we look at the front...
0:11:02 > 0:11:07It's a bit of an "Oh, dear", because in fact Constable died in 1837.
0:11:07 > 0:11:13When we look at this picture, stylistically, this is post-1850.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17It's almost...it's got a bit of a Smythe feel to it.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22So I think it's probably painted 1850-1860s, so after his death. So what's it going to be worth?
0:11:22 > 0:11:27- I would think, as it's not by Constable, but it's a very pretty picture...- Yes.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31..Probably painted 1850-60s, £200 to £300.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Oh, well, very nice. Thank you.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38I love samplers, I don't have any, but I think they're wonderful things.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43What they tell us about their period. But you've got so many, where are they from?
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- From a- car-boot sale. All of these have come from car boots?
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- That's right.- Over how long a period?- Only about 18 months.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- So you've bought all these in a very short time?- I have.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55And do you pay large sums?
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Um, between £65 and £120 each.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- That seems very reasonable. - I thought so.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06- I'm amazed that, you know, things of this quality are still there at car boots.- So was I.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10This is an interesting group because they're all the same sort of date.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- The 1880s.- They seem to be. - In sampler terms, fairly late.- Yes.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18The really desirable, expensive ones are late 18th, early 19th century.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22But I don't think that matters. You've got here all the classic sampler details, the houses,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27the alphabets, the mottoes, the messages. Wonderful images, I love...
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Whoops! Mustn't start a cascade...
0:12:29 > 0:12:33I love this one because of all the gardening details.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- Yes.- The dogs, the plants, the woman with her chickens, you know.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41It has a lovely sense of the late Victorian cottage garden, doesn't it?
0:12:41 > 0:12:43- Yes, doesn't it? - I think that's great.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48They're all slightly faded, which is inevitable. But they're not bad at all.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53The other I think is, I suppose is MY favourite, is this one.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I've never seen such an immensely personal, emotive sampler.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01"I, Victoria Preston worked this in memory of my dear father,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05"lost at sea, in the year of our Lord 1881, rest in peace."
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- I mean your...- Plucks at the heart strings.- It really does.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10It makes me go all funny because...
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Maybe he was in the whaling trade? You've got the whale, the ship.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15- He was 30 when he died.- Yes.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20- It says so much and she's put a black border on it.- Yes.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24- Most people that buy at boot fairs say "Oh, I only paid 50p".- Yes.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- So you're paying serious money.- Yes. - Because you want the samplers.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- Yeah, I wanted them, I appreciate them, I like them very much.- Yeah.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Now, in terms of value, I think you're still getting bargains.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40We're looking at things that would be normally in the span of £150 to £250.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- Right.- In commercial terms.- Hm-mm.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47If you can get a late-Victorian sampler like this for £60, just go and buy it.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- Yes.- It's still a great bargain. - Yes, right. Thank you.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52I was going to ask...
0:13:52 > 0:13:57whether YOU sat for this, when, er, you were younger?
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Actually, I think it's more likely to be my mother-in-law than me.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I think it might have been your grandmother-in-law.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10This lovely young lady was made in Czechoslovakia.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13At the Royal Dux Factory.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Now, we know precisely when she was made
0:14:16 > 0:14:20because on the bottom we have lots of information.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25We have the triangle for Royal Dux,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29and there we have "Made In Czechoslovakia".
0:14:29 > 0:14:31I couldn't quite make that out.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And Czechoslovakia only came into existence
0:14:34 > 0:14:38after the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the First World War.
0:14:38 > 0:14:44Now apart from the fact that she's a very attractive young lady,
0:14:44 > 0:14:49showing all her advantages, she's unusual.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Because normally these Royal Dux figures tend to have
0:14:52 > 0:14:55sort of healthy peasants and people like that.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57But how did you get her?
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Well, she's been in the family since the early 1940s.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04A relation went to a house clearance in Bournemouth
0:15:04 > 0:15:08and bought her there and as I say, she's been with us ever since.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12One thing I do have to draw to your attention...
0:15:12 > 0:15:14You think she's suntanned, do you?
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- Well, I did wonder whether she had actually been painted. - She is absolutely filthy!
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- Yes, we were told... - ...Look at that!
0:15:21 > 0:15:24..Not to touch her because we could damage the, er, surface.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I mean what rubbish people do...
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I mean all she needs is, is a bath.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33- Quick shower.- I mean she is... Quick shower would do it, yeah...
0:15:33 > 0:15:37But she is very, very, very dirty.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Now, that dirt, actually, in a way protects the surface.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47- Yeah.- But I would, I would get the dirt off. I mean she is dirty all over, give her a nice bath.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50What would you suggest using?
0:15:50 > 0:15:56Well, it's like my nanny used to say - "Soap and water never does anybody any harm".
0:15:56 > 0:15:59So soap and water's not going to do her any harm.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05- Right.- Actually, the best thing to do is get a plastic bowl, put some sponge in the bottom,
0:16:05 > 0:16:11lay her down in and then sponge her all over with...with mild, green or whatever, you know...
0:16:11 > 0:16:12- Yes, I know.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Then she'll come out and you'll be able to see all the little bits
0:16:15 > 0:16:20of gilding and everything that are there and she'll come out in her full, full glory.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And, er...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Then, when you've got her all clean, I'm afraid you'll have to insure her.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32And I think you should insure her for £1,800.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36That's what it would cost you to replace her if anything happened.
0:16:36 > 0:16:43- Right.- I mean she's in lovely condition and will be EVEN better once you've given her a bath.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Thank you very much, that's lovely.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51I think for me, this is the icing on the cake,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55right down here at the bottom, I love this shape, this sort of...
0:16:55 > 0:16:59- It's called an akratira...- Oh. - It's a Greek emblem
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- usually on the top of buildings, not down at the base of something.- Right.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07It's got this wonderful lyre here, this lyre shape, like a musical lyre.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Then the anthemion or honeysuckle, which is repeated time and again,
0:17:11 > 0:17:17- copying Greek Classical Architecture in the early 19th century.- Right.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21There's a lot of quality to this piece. If we just travel up here,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25lovely slender fluting here and this wonderful bit of leaf carving.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I'm a bit nervous about the leather book binding.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I think that was probably done before my grandfather bought it.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34So you're not embarrassed if I tell you, I think they're later.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- No, no, no, no, no.- Right.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38I think it was just silk there, folded, pleated silk.
0:17:38 > 0:17:44- Yes.- You've probably seen... those wonderful drawings by Ackerman's Repository.- That's right.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Wonderful drawings of silk-pleated doors, and I'm sure it was like that.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- We've got leather in here?- Yes. - Is this in the same sort of...?
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Ah, yes. Now, that's very unusual.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58You see this leather here is clearly redone as well.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- I love playing with things... What's here? Nothing secret, just...- No, no.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07It's unusual to have this angled writing flap, they're normally flat with baize or leather,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10without compartments underneath, so it's commodious and capacious.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Aren't these lovely? This is a fun thing...
0:18:13 > 0:18:16You could take that home with you, or the foot, one or the other...
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- I could anyway, it's just a beautiful little object, isn't it?- Hm-mm.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23This certainly does reek quality. Is it a family piece?
0:18:23 > 0:18:29It is. My grandfather bought it in, well, '54. Well, he had it on approval to start with.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- On approval. I won't mention the antique dealer's name.- No, no.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- He's still going strong, at the same address. This is 1954.- Yes.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40It's a very good, very, very good antique shop.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- It's a family piece and you inherited it, when was that?- Ten years ago.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- I'll give you that back. - Thank you.- Ten years ago.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50- Did you have it valued at all? - I did - £1,500 to £2,000.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Right, did they give an idea of the date?- No.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56It's interesting in the letter there it says 1805.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Circa 1805 and I think that's more of a selling rather than a buying thing.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05If we just close it up and have a look, I think that it, it's... 1805 is still George III...
0:19:05 > 0:19:09I think this is 1810-1820, so critical.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13I don't think it matters now in the 21st century,
0:19:13 > 0:19:18but in the 1950s, 1805-1820 was quite a difference, socially different, so...
0:19:18 > 0:19:22It wouldn't have been terribly acceptable to have a piece of 1820.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27- You know, it was frowned upon, but 50 years later, nobody cares.- Yes.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I think if I was doing an auction value today, instead of £1,500-£2,000,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33I would say £8,000-10,000.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Yes. Thank you.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Insure it for £15,000.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42Mmm-hmmm.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47So this is a pretty wacky object, tell me about it.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53Well, this is a domestic water filter that I assume was made somewhere around about the 1900s
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and it would have been used in the local area.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01- Why are you such an expert about this?- I spent 20 years in the water industry.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- You're the water man.- I'm the water man, or used to be the water man.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08I took early retirement from the water industry in the year 2000,
0:20:08 > 0:20:15and this was given to me by one of my customers somewhere around about 1994.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17How brilliant. Well, the thing is made of stoneware,
0:20:17 > 0:20:22as I'm sure you're aware, in a Doulton style of ceramic.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26It's fired to a very high temperature in a kiln
0:20:26 > 0:20:30and then salt is thrown into the kiln and you get this hard,
0:20:30 > 0:20:35almost metallic, glaze on the outside of the material.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It was used a lot in the sanitary industry in the 19th century,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42making sewers and basically things that need to be kept pretty clean
0:20:42 > 0:20:46and smooth-flowing. So, stoneware is the material.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48I actually think it's pretty decorative, too.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53I can see it as a filter system in a late-Victorian kitchen.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58The patentee has sorted this one out, I guess, so that the piped supply -
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and it may not be mains water,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04it could just be coming through a lead pipe from a spring up the valley -
0:21:04 > 0:21:09would arrive and there'd be a float system to stop the supply and adjust it,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13depending on what's being drawn out. There's the lovely old glass float.
0:21:13 > 0:21:19And then he's got some sort of filter here... What do you call that filter?
0:21:19 > 0:21:23We would call that the coarse filter so the larger of the solid material
0:21:23 > 0:21:25in the water supply would have been trapped there.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The finer material would pass through.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Doesn't look terribly savoury, does it?- Doesn't look very savoury at all.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And then you go into this, this reservoir,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38and what's this sort of slag heap of stuff inside here called?
0:21:38 > 0:21:41This is the actual filter media, it's a spongy filter media,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46which means that a percentage of the water that's put into the filter will be absorbed into the media,
0:21:46 > 0:21:52and then the remaining clean water, minus its solids, would flow out the bottom.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56- OK, and that pulls out like a... It's heavy, isn't it?- Very heavy, yeah.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00So, that's full of this slag stuff, which has done the filtering
0:22:00 > 0:22:05- and then the gin clear water is in the bottom of this, is it?- Yes.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08That's the theory anyway. And you'd normally have a tap...
0:22:08 > 0:22:10I'll just take that cork out.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Ooh, yes, lovely. So there we go.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Well, after you, then.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20So glad you've got some confidence in your water board.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- Mmm, marvellous!- Very nice.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25- So, what's it worth, then? - I haven't got a clue.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It's not an easy thing to value, I have to say,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30but it's a particularly complete example.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35All it needs is that Victorian brass tap and I think you could get maybe around £300.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Very nice, thank you very much.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Well, that's a handsome-looking pint pot.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It's more than a pint, actually,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46but, of course, in actual fact, it's a jerry - it's a chamber pot.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50At the moment it's a trophy at our sailing club for the Boxing Day race,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55but I bought it some 20 years ago.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59My son was killed in a car accident after a Boxing Day race
0:22:59 > 0:23:04and we thought if only we could get a really good trophy to replace the china chamber pot,
0:23:04 > 0:23:09and that's what we found in a London antique shop.
0:23:09 > 0:23:16Now, it was originally made, so I'm told, for the Duke of Connaught in 1874.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- Some marks on the bottom there, but...- On the bottom, there?
0:23:19 > 0:23:21That's right. It's made by Elkingtons.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24It seems to have had a little use.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Oh, yes, I'm sure it's had some use, for what it was really intended for,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31but, of course, we use it to stick champagne in on Boxing Day.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34So, it gets presented every year now for the Boxing Day race.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37A poignant potty.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Well, the person in this picture was Isabella Clive,
0:23:41 > 0:23:46and we think this picture might have been taken on her wedding day,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50- and we're not really sure how she got the chain...- Mmm-hmm.
0:23:50 > 0:23:58..And the cross, but we do know that she was born in 17...
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- 1786.- ..1786...
0:24:01 > 0:24:06We think she probably got married about, erm...1806.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- Something like that.- She's quite young in that picture, isn't she?
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Yes, 18 or 20-years-old, which was probably a good age to get married in those days.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Originally the chain was a lot longer.- Yes.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23And she wanted to divide it between her two daughters,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28so the chain was shortened and it was divided into two.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33So, I've been left the shorter chain and the cross itself
0:24:33 > 0:24:39and it's come down the family and it will go to my daughter here when she's older.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43How exciting, so is this the same chain as here?
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- Yes, that's right.- Much longer.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Mm, but it's very interesting.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53- The cross is quite early for this type of ware. This is called cannetille work.- Right.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57And it's made by lots of little scrolls which are joined together
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and soldered together. Very, very delicate work,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04and here, of course, a little hair locket in the middle.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06And this is stamped...
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It's quite interesting the way it's made.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12What you would have had is a long strip of gold
0:25:12 > 0:25:14that is rolled out and stamped with this design.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17As far as I can see, they've made it in three sections,
0:25:17 > 0:25:22so they've cut it up, bent it round and soldered it.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24It's most delicate work.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27And here on the back I see that there was a butterfly,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29but a little bit's got broken off.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31It's just in the back, in the velvet.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Yes. Well, being all-gold that would be relatively easy to repair.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38What do you think of it? Do you like this?
0:25:38 > 0:25:43I've only ever seen it once before. I think it's really pretty.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45It IS really pretty, yes.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Do you know who actually made it?
0:25:47 > 0:25:54Well, I don't know who made it, because very few makers used to sign their work in those days.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57The chain's a lovely chain, as well.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59It's really a completely different style
0:25:59 > 0:26:05- and so I suppose they were possibly bought at different times and put together.- Right.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09It's very cleverly done because it gives the impression of bulk and thickness
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and yet it is quite light and pleasant to wear,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14especially if it was three times the length.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Anyway, it's a lovely piece of jewellery and...
0:26:19 > 0:26:23I estimate the value of this cross at around...
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- oh, between £3,000 and £4,000.- Oh.
0:26:26 > 0:26:33And these chains are always terribly, terribly popular and...
0:26:33 > 0:26:36this is probably worth somewhere also between £3,000 and £4,000.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41- Wow!- So £6,000 to £8,000 for the 'tout ensemble'.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47- They belonged to my father-in-law. You see the photograph there.- Yes.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51- And that was my father-in-law. He had a team with his brothers.- Right.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54They had a business in the town.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00They decided to manufacture table tennis or ping-pong bats, as part of that.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05- Right, so these are the actual bats that are featured in the photograph? - That's right, yes.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09OK, the photograph is dated 1904, which is interesting enough,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- but these bats have a registration number on them.- Ah, yes.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16And the registration number that is stamped on them is RD3824,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and it's a registered design number. That accurately dates them to 1901.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24- I can see these are stamped Wootton and Sons, so...- That's right.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29..Your family, Wootton, and these people obviously had these specially manufactured.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33That's right. They were manufactured by the shop and sent away as well.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38So they were a sort of worldwide, world famous table tennis or ping-pong bat, were they?
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- That's right.- Now, the origins of ping-pong are a little bit cloudy,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46- but apparently there was a kind of Oriental connection there.- Ah.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Some people thought the game may have originated in China, hence the word ping-pong.
0:27:51 > 0:27:57And also that they made that noise. That was the noise the ball made when it was hitting the bat.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- Indeed.- So it became ping-pong.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Now, table tennis is a name that we later called it, in fact.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06- That's right.- And, these are very...
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- They have a very exotic, Oriental look to them, in some ways.- They do.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Sort of palmette-shaped, maybe Indian, even, I don't know - they're very exotic.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17They have sandpaper-covered faces on them,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21and obviously they won lots of tournaments, these particular bats.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Yes, there are all the trophies. That's right.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27In terms of actually attributing a value to something like this,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30I think it's very difficult. There's obviously a bit of local history.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- That's right.- Bit of family history.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38- In terms of their value as ping-pong bats - I don't think a remarkably high value.- No, no.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43- But the way it all ties together... - That's right.- ..That makes it such a perfect little thing, really.
0:28:43 > 0:28:49If they were put into a proper sporting sale, they might be worth £200 or £300, something like that,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53- but I think it's the history behind them that is most interesting. - That's right.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55And thank you for bringing them.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00Oh, that's fine. I like table tennis myself, so it's rather nice to....
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- Do you still play table tennis? - Oh, I do. Yes, indeed.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06- They're a far cry from the modern bats.- That's right.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- No doubt they make a much nicer noise than the more modern ones. - Oh, they do.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12We've got here an ordinary wardrobe.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Difficult date to define, but you know, pretty standard.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Every house in Britain had one of these.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23But when you tap the top and the sides, it's made of tin.
0:29:23 > 0:29:29Now, I have never in my life seen a wardrobe, which is partly made of wood and partly made of tin.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32- Did you find that curious?- Yes, very.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36- And what did you think about it? - I thought it was a little bit odd...different.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38Different? Certainly different.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Now, why should somebody make a tin wardrobe?
0:29:42 > 0:29:43I think the answer is as follows -
0:29:43 > 0:29:48after the Second World War, there was a great shortage of timber
0:29:48 > 0:29:54and also there was a lot of companies who'd made military equipment out of metal -
0:29:54 > 0:29:58- aeroplanes, whatever, lorries - coming out of that business.- Yes.
0:29:58 > 0:30:04And a number of those aeroplane companies went into making furniture, kitchen units and so on,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07using aluminium and using their industrial techniques.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12I think in this case, what has happened is that a furniture manufacturer had -
0:30:12 > 0:30:19left over from the 1930s - a huge stock, a warehouse full of doors and other wardrobe bits and pieces
0:30:19 > 0:30:24and then he thought, "Hell, I need to get these out on the market, what can I do?
0:30:24 > 0:30:26"I can't get the wood for the frame."
0:30:26 > 0:30:33So he knew a friend who said, "Don't worry. We can sort that out. We can make them out of metal."
0:30:33 > 0:30:38Some factory, we don't know where, for a very brief time, made metal frames,
0:30:38 > 0:30:46inset into them 1930s quite smart Art Deco doors until, by the late '40s all that had gone,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50because rationing began to end, and materials became available again.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52So I think it tells a great story.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56Now, having said that, that is a complete guess and I may be very wrong,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59but I can see no other way where it makes sense.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03- You bought it as a wardrobe - what did you pay?- Probably under £10.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Well, don't get excited.
0:31:06 > 0:31:12- No.- I think today it's such a curiosity, it's so extraordinary.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16But even with all that, I doubt if someone would pay more than £50,
0:31:16 > 0:31:23unless they were really fanatical about having possibly the only wood and metal wardrobe in Britain.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24That's right.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28I bought them over the last couple of years or so.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Basically because an aunt of mine died, left me a few pounds,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36and I wanted something to remember her by. They're rather nice.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41This one is interesting, because as you know, perhaps, it's called a Pepperbox revolver.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46Now, this was purchased by a man, who may be subjected to violence.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49I always say a rent collector or something like that.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53- Right.- Because if he was cornered, it is a defensive weapon, really,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57- with the six barrels.- Yes. - But you've also got to remember
0:31:57 > 0:32:00that when the Pepperboxes came out, it was rather revolutionary,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04because gunsmiths used to...
0:32:04 > 0:32:05although they made them...
0:32:05 > 0:32:09they used to view it with a little apprehension that they made these,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12because it is a violent thing, after all's said and done.
0:32:12 > 0:32:18- Yes.- And often, they didn't put their names on them.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22- It's rare you'll find a pistol without a maker's name.- Right.
0:32:22 > 0:32:29- But you often find Pepperboxes with no names at all, although the craftsmanship is very good.- Right.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32So there you are, so that's a six-shot Pepperbox.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34And that would be... What date would that be?
0:32:34 > 0:32:40- This would be about 1840-1845, somewhere around there.- Yeah.
0:32:40 > 0:32:46- Now, the value of this one, in the region of £200.- Yes, yeah.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49This is a little surprise. Now, that, that is nice.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54This is Colonel Colt's revolver, a pocket model,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58would be carried around the 1850s into the '60s and so forth.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02But again, the type of man that would want this,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05is a man that's doing a lot of travelling on the stagecoaches.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07But if he wanted to feel secure,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10then he would buy one of these for personal protection.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13I notice it's got a stagecoach emblem on the...
0:33:13 > 0:33:15- Absolutely.- Curiously enough...
0:33:15 > 0:33:21Indeed. There's a stagecoach engraving of being held up.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Yes, so there you are. Yes, indeed.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- Now, the navy model has ships on. - Oh, right.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32- You see, that's the way they did it. - I understand.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35But this particular revolver was made in America,
0:33:35 > 0:33:41but, of course, Colonel Colt came over here and he bought the Pimlico factory from the government.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44- And that's where the English Colts were made.- Right.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46- And now you've got your flask.- Yes.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50- Typical American flask with a little eagle on.- Yes.
0:33:50 > 0:33:56But you see, so often you find these Colts have been re-cased,
0:33:56 > 0:34:01that's all the original mahogany case and it's really nice, a really nice thing.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Now...
0:34:03 > 0:34:05value...
0:34:05 > 0:34:08I think if you put this in auction today,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12- you could be assured, certainly, of something over £2,000.- Right.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18Monday, July 21st 1969, incredibly exciting headlines.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23"2am - Man is on the Moon." Where were you when man was on the moon?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26I was watching the television and I remember staying with...
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- If you remember they landed on a Sunday night.- Yes.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31They were about to walk late Sunday, early Monday,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35and they kept putting the walk back and back. I should have gone to bed,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38but I stayed up and it was about 4am when they actually walked.
0:34:38 > 0:34:45Yes, and you've got the other Daily Express - Monday, July 21st and "Man Steps on to the Moon".
0:34:45 > 0:34:50At 4am they stayed for two hours inside and then stepped onto the moon.
0:34:50 > 0:34:56- That's incredibly exciting and what's even more exciting is that you've got them signed.- Yes.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01- And you've got Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and...- Michael Collins.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04- Michael Collins, who nobody... - Forgotten man of the venture, really.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08- The man that waited in a craft for them to link up. - Absolutely wonderful.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13- So, you're very interested in moon exploration.- I think most people were at that time.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Today, it seems old-hat to the younger generation,
0:35:15 > 0:35:20but for those of us of that generation then, it was such an exciting thing.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23I remember watching the television until the early hours,
0:35:23 > 0:35:27collecting these newspapers and I had them for about a year
0:35:27 > 0:35:32and decided that I'd like them signed, so I got the addresses from the American Embassy in London,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35sent them to the States three times. I was very excited.
0:35:35 > 0:35:42- Well, I think it shows tremendous sticking power, staying power there. You've also got these.- Yes.
0:35:42 > 0:35:48Rather fun, a signed photograph of Buzz Aldrin, the very famous image.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- And this one, which is signed by... - Neil Armstrong.
0:35:51 > 0:35:58Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, again that picture, but on a newspaper.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02Now, the problem with newspapers is how you store them. Where do you store them?
0:36:02 > 0:36:09- I keep them in a plastic wallet and I keep them out of the light. - Right.- This one, as you see...
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Neil Armstrong signed this. It's fading, he signed it to me, written my name, but it's fading badly.
0:36:13 > 0:36:19- That's very important. I have to say an acid-free acetate pocket would be better...- Right, mm.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22- ..Than the plastic folder that you've got.- Right.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Because that is not acid-free.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Those two, the two signed by all three,
0:36:29 > 0:36:34I estimate to be worth £1,500 for the pair.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39This one just signed by two, I think would probably go to about £500-600.
0:36:39 > 0:36:45- Really? Amazing.- That Buzz Aldrin... Such a pity about the other signature there,
0:36:45 > 0:36:51I think £300-£400, because it's such a good image and it so typifies
0:36:51 > 0:36:53that whole trip, as it were, doesn't it?
0:36:53 > 0:36:57Not a bad investment. Five pence for the cost of the original newspaper.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- And a little bit of investment in the post office.- Indeed, indeed.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04And you've got a memorable collection.
0:37:04 > 0:37:11Well, it actually belonged to my husband's great-aunt Eva and she gave it to us,
0:37:11 > 0:37:15not long after we got married. We don't know very much about its origin really,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19but I know she'd had it for quite a while and we think it was one of a pair.
0:37:19 > 0:37:25There was also a young lad as well, a young man of a similar style.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29But, you know, that's as much as we know about it.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Now, you say "style". There's the magic word. What style is this?
0:37:33 > 0:37:36Well, it's very unusual, isn't it?
0:37:36 > 0:37:41I know it's a porcelain picture, but the frame looks very Gothic.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44You hit the right word spot-on.
0:37:44 > 0:37:49Well, the picture is a celebrated portrait of a lady
0:37:49 > 0:37:52in 16th/17th century costume
0:37:52 > 0:37:57and I think the original is a Rubens, but I'm not sure, I'm not a paintings expert.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02- It's beautifully painted onto porcelain from Berlin.- Right.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07If you took the back off this, you'd find a little mace impressed,
0:38:07 > 0:38:12or a little blue mark of a mace and the magic initials KPM -
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Koeniglich Porzellan Manufaktur.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18OK? That's what it is and it contrasts beautifully,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22this lovely, glossy finish contrasts beautifully
0:38:22 > 0:38:28- with this Hammer House of Horror...- Yes.- ..Frame.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32I think this was probably carved somewhere in the Black Forest region,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Schwarzwald, and you hit the word - I mean it's Gothic, isn't it?
0:38:35 > 0:38:39- Mmm.- It's slightly scary. - Yes.- Was your aunt scary?
0:38:39 > 0:38:41No, no, she was lovely.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45She was a real character and she was quite well-known in Oxford, where she lived.
0:38:45 > 0:38:51She did a lot with the Women's Institute and yes, so she was a real character, not at all scary.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55The thing I love about it is that the plaque has survived with the original frame.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59The Germans were wild for reliving the Gothic period.
0:38:59 > 0:39:05We think of Wagner, we think of High Gothic, of turrets and ruins,
0:39:05 > 0:39:09gargoyles screaming out of the ruined walls and ivy crawling up,
0:39:09 > 0:39:14the sort of Grimm Brothers' fairy-tale columns.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18What I particularly like, and I have to congratulate you on bringing it,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22- it's even got the original cobwebs up in the turret.- Yes.
0:39:22 > 0:39:27I was going to ask you about that, because I wasn't quite sure how to clean it,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31- without damaging it, so I just run a cloth over it.- How to clean it?
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Well, having complimented you on the cobwebs,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38I don't know whether I ought to show you, because it does look
0:39:38 > 0:39:42as though the occasional flash of lightning would bring this to life.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47- But if you want to know how to clean it, shall I show you? - Mmm.- Stand back!
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Oh, right.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51- I think I've given you the idea.- Yes.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56I mean to get into the crevices, just blow or use a floppy brush.
0:39:56 > 0:40:01For the porcelain plaque, just use a very light detergent,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05a light solution of detergent and it'll clean up beautifully,
0:40:05 > 0:40:10and you'll get that lovely contrast between the porcelain and the wood, it's great.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13I'm not a massive fan of KPM on its own,
0:40:13 > 0:40:19that plaque is probably only worth somewhere in the region of £600-£900.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Oh, my goodness!
0:40:21 > 0:40:28But with the Gothic horror, that is rather a good Gothic horror, and the gargoyle,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32I think I'm going to put a value somewhere between £1,200 and £1,800.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37Oh, my goodness. We had no idea what it might be worth.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40It's just got real sentimental value for us, coming from Auntie Beth,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I think that's lovely.
0:40:43 > 0:40:49This little object is a salt chair. It's quite an unusual little object
0:40:49 > 0:40:53and I'm quite intrigued as to how you came by it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56I got it at a school fair when they were doing a white elephant stall,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00- and I bought it for 50p from there. - And what made you go for it?
0:41:00 > 0:41:04It just looks quite nice and wasn't that expensive.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Well, the purpose of this, it's sort of a little ceremonial object
0:41:08 > 0:41:13because salt's got a lot of significance for Russians,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16giving someone salt on their bread is an indication of hospitality.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20So you see these made in lots of different materials.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23But this particular one is silver gilt,
0:41:23 > 0:41:27although the gilding has more or less disappeared in the 100 years or so, since it was made.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30And then it's what's called cloisonne enamel,
0:41:30 > 0:41:36where the enamel is in little cells, or cloisons,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40made, formed by little bits of twisted wire which are soldered on.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Then the enamel powder is filled into the cloisons
0:41:43 > 0:41:46and it's fired and that's the result you get.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51It's very nicely decorated on the back too, a beautiful little object,
0:41:51 > 0:41:55and underneath are the Russian hallmarks.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00There's a maker's mark which I haven't had a chance to identify,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04and the silver mark for St Petersburg,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08and this was in use between 1899 and 1908,
0:42:08 > 0:42:13so we can date this quite carefully, quite accurately in a short period.
0:42:13 > 0:42:18They're quite rare little objects and I think your 50p has done well.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21- Have you got it insured? - No.- Where does it live?
0:42:21 > 0:42:25It just sits on one of the window sills in our house.
0:42:25 > 0:42:31Well, it'll probably stagger you to know that you should insure this
0:42:31 > 0:42:35for something in the region of between £1,200 and £1,500.
0:42:35 > 0:42:41That's what it would cost to replace today, so I think the boy done well.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44Can I have my 50p back?
0:42:44 > 0:42:47The boy's certainly done well. I would say he done good!
0:42:47 > 0:42:52I should keep a much closer eye in future on those white elephant stalls. Until next time, goodbye.